U.S. Embassy in Colombia

Canine Program ($0.1M)

• 100 dogs purchased for Army, Police and Navy units in 2007
• Drugs, eplosives, people, & money
• Dogs work in all programs
• Low-tech, high productivity
• Deterrence capability
• 51 dogs KIA (Killed in Action) since program inception

This office works closely with all branches of the Colombian Security Forces to help them meet their needs for trained dogs to detect explosives, drugs, and currency.  In 2008, it funded 200 explosive-detecting dogs for the Carabinero program.

Reestablishment of Security Presence in Conflictive Zones (Carabineros and Municipio Police Programs) ($18.65M)

• Rural police
• 86 EMCAR units now trained
• Often first ones in new areas
• 1,597 arrests in 2007
• 8,164 hectares of coca manually eradicated in 2007
• CNP in all 1,098 municipalities, now moving to townships

Security Trends since 2001:

• Terrorist attacks down by 75%
• Kidnappings down by 77%
• Homicides down by 27%

Police are now on duty in all 1,098 municipalities in Colombia for the first time in history and starting to move into townships as well.  Mobile Carabineros Squadrons (120-man police units) are actively patrolling rural Colombia.  Terrorism and crime are down throughout Colombia.  In 2007, the CNP’s Mobile Rural Police (Carabineros or EMCAR) captured 75 narcotraffickers, 281 guerrillas, and 1,240 common criminals. They also seized 825 weapons, 22,365 gallons of liquid precursors, and 16 metric tons of solid precursors. A total of 68 EMCAR squadrons have been trained and deployed, and their work along with the municipal CNP units was largely responsible for the continued improvement in public security throughout rural Colombia.

Individual Deserter Program ($0.5M)

• Over 15,000 narco-terrorists have demobilized, thus reducing the personnel strength and capabilities of narco-terrorists organizations.
• Fuses operational intelligence of Colombian Security Forces.
• Promotes “a way out” to members of terrorists organizations.
• Removes weapons, logistics, and war type material from the terrorists organizations.
• Helps resolve and prevent civil conflict, and rebuild communities.
• Provides a vehicle for former terrorists to contribute to peace within Colombia.
• 31 kidnapped victims have been recovered due to former terrorists cooperation.
• The program benefits the demobilized and his immediate family.
• Manages a weapons, war material, and information buy back program.
• Develops and executes an Information Operations strategy valued at over (US) $4 million.

Colombia’s Humanitarian Assistance to the Demobilized (PAHD) has reduced the strength of Colombian narco-terrorists organization by more than 15,000 FARC, ELN, AUC and other criminal entities since 2001.  This Humanitarian Program provides a legal mechanism for individuals in illegally armed groups to demobilize with certain legal protections and humanitarian benefits which include shelter, food, health, and education to them and family members.  During the Uribe administration, 8,858 FARC, 2,015 ELN, 3,682 AUC, and 445 other illegal armed group members have demobilized on an individual basis.  The demobilized provide vital information that fuses intelligence into more than 50% of Colombian Security Forces operations.  This program has removed 2,399 females and 2,330 minors from the ranks of Colombian terrorist organizations.

For an example of this office’s supported Information Operations strategy to encourage desertions, see the following commercial (attach Nino commercial).

Port Security (funded by Interdiction Program)

• Effort between Colombia, U.S. government, and private industry.
• Over 22 metric tons of illegal drugs (primarily cocaine) seized in 2007.
• Serves as a deterrent.
• Helps the economy.
• Combats terrorism

Various U.S. government agencies work with the Colombian Antinarcotics Police (DIRAN) and private seaport operators to prevent narcotics trafficking in Colombia’s seaports and airports. The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs & Border Protection (CBP) work with this office to provide training and technical assistance to improve the ability of border control agencies in Colombia to combat drug trafficking, money laundering, contraband smuggling, and commercial fraud. In 2007, more than 22 metric tons of cocaine and 18.2 kilograms of heroin were seized and 34 persons arrested in the four principal Colombian ports.

The U.S. government also works with DIRAN and the Airport Police to prevent Colombia’s international airports from being used as export points for drugs. In 2007, airport agents confiscated 661 kilograms of cocaine and 12 kilograms of heroin, resulting in 62 arrests.

Demand Reduction ($0.5M)

• Demand in Colombia increasing.
• A program with no detractors.
• Police, NGOs, DNE, and others involved.
• Low cost, big benefit .

Although the Colombian Government (GOC) does not keep official statistics on drug use or drug abuse treatment, evidence suggests that Colombian drug use is increasing and higher than historically believed.  Embassy Bogota’s demand-reduction strategy integrates a broad spectrum of initiatives.  These include efforts to prevent the onset of use, intervention at “critical decision points” in the lives of vulnerable populations to prevent both first use and further use, and effective treatment programs for the addicted.  Other aspects encompass education and media campaigns to increase public awareness of the consequences of drug use/abuse, coalition building and financial support for studies that will enable the GOC to measure the extent of the drug problem that they face.

This office supports several organizations with their education-based anti-drug programs, including Leones Educando and the CNP’s DARE program.  It also works with the Trust for the Americas to organize capacity-building training for NGO’s working in the fields of drug prevention and drug abuse treatment as well as a seminar for journalists to develop stories related to drug prevention and/or treatment.  Additionally, it cooperates with the Organization of American States (OAS)-CICAD and several Colombian nursing schools to develop a curriculum to aid nurses in identifying and treating drug abusers.

Embassy Bogota, as well as INL, have provided funding to the GOC to conduct its first comprehensive national drug use survey in more than twelve years.  Over the next few years this office plans to expand its support of education-based drug prevention programs into illicit crop cultivation areas.  Other plans include working with the GOC, international organizations and NGO’s to develop an anti-drug public service announcement and expanding INL-initiated anti-drug network and coalition building programs throughout the country.

Culture of Lawfulness ($0.25 M)

• Values program.
• Focused on students and police.
• 16,000+ students have gone through program.
• Train the Trainer program

Embassy Bogota launched the Culture of Lawfulness (COL) program in 2002 through a grant with the National Strategy Information Center (NSIC), a nonpartisan, nongovernmental educational organization based in Washington, DC.  The program consists of two distinct educational programs in different key sectors: schools and police.

The school-based program is executed in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, the Office of the Vice President, the Presidential Program for the Fight Against Corruption (PPLCC), and municipal mayors and secretaries of education.  The COL school program is based on effective practices developed in other countries, but is specifically tailored to the Colombian education system and the rule of law challenges faced by Colombian students.  The COL course lasts 60 hours, and its lessons are geared toward eighth and ninth grade students.  COL education is incorporated into the mandatory school curriculum and seeks to influence student knowledge, attitudes, and behavior vis-a-vis the rule of law.  Specifically, the curriculum focuses on:  how the rule of law enhances quality of life; obstacles and threats to its implementation, as well as ways to overcome these obstacles; overcoming fatalism and building the students’ sense of personal responsibility; and, providing students with the life skills (e.g., problem solving, critical thinking) necessary to help bring about cultural change in their society.  The program is designed to go beyond the schools – teachers and students influence parents, relatives, and friends to change thinking about corruption.

The police program was launched in 2005 with the goal of creating a police culture in which crime and corruption are discouraged, and police are rewarded for upholding and promoting the law and human rights.  Armed with these skills, Colombian police will become positive role models and leaders in their communities.  Instructors teach COL courses at both the officer cadet academy and new patrolmen schools.  The officer cadet course lasts 90 hours over two semesters.  Upon graduation from the academy, the new officers are required to create and implement an action plan for promoting the rule of law among the police they command, and in the communities which they serve.  The new police recruits, who will work as patrol officers, receive an abbreviated 48 hours of instruction.  The curriculum is focused on the officers’ personal responsibility to uphold the rule of law and to develop support for a culture of lawfulness through their interaction with the community.

Polygraphs (funded by Interdiction program)

• Partnership with ICE to train and equip units.
• Powerful tool against corruption.
• Slowly gaining acceptance.
• Polygraphs not allowed in courts

This office teamed up with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to support the creation of a Polygraph Unit within the Colombian Antinarcotics Police (DIRAN) in order to improve their internal control processes and root out corruption. NAS supports polygraph activity all around the country through exams for DIRAN Air and Seaport personnel. This unit also supports other CNP Directorates based on specific needs. During 2007, the unit conducted 1,507 polygraphs.